Hotel Dusk  The Novel
by Ixax15
Summary: A book version of my favorite DS game.


Hotel Dusk: Room 215

Chapter 1

The name's Kyle Hyde. I used to be a New York cop, but three years ago I gave up my badge and became a salesman with a joint called Red Crown. This gig's good cover to search for this guy I used to know. Guy named Bradley, Brian Bradley. Bradley was an undercover. And when you're undercover you're either a good actor, or you're fucking dead. Bradley must've been an oscar winner, because when he was investigating this crime syndicate, he sold us out. I put a bullet in him and he vanished into the hudson. Nobody ever found his body. I reckon he's still alive. I guess I should tell you about the present. It's December 28, 1979,and my boss, Ed, told me to get my ass to a dive called Hotel Dusk, out in Nevada. I help Ed with a side business, you see. I find things that don't neccesarily want to be found.

I got to the hotel around five o'clock. I had to ring the bell twice before this guy comes to help me. He comes out of his office screaming. "Rosa! Hey, Rosa! If I told ya once, I told ya a thousand times! Don't go botherin' me when I'm watchin' a game! Huh? The hell? You ain't Rosa!" "No. No I'm not. I'd like to check in?" The guy thinks for a minute. He obviously ain't exactly a genius. He's wearing a wifebeater that looks a couple sizes too small, and his trousers are held up by a pair of raggedy suspenders. I've seen prettier faces than his on Halloween. Guy rubs his cheek for a minute, before finally piping up. "What kinda room ya want?" "Cheap" I reply. He laughs. "Well, if ya wanna save a bit'a scratch, I got a room available." I smile back at him. "Well,if I can getcha to fill out this registration card, ya can have a room. Here's a pen for ya. Nice pen, too. Don't go stealin' it." I grin dumbly. This guy's an asshole. I fill out the card. NAME: Kyle Hyde. DATE: 12/28/79. ROOM #:... I look up to the owner. "What do I put here?" He looks at the card. "You're name REALLY Kyle Hyde?" he asks. "Why, you like it?" "No...it's not that, but we had us a Kyle Hyde a couple months back...that's all." This sets off a bell in my head. "What'd he look like?" "Him? Oh, tall blonde fellow, dressed nicely, not like you". Thanks, Asshole. I look down at my Old Leather jacket, got it from my dad. My untucked checked shirt, and my faded blue jeans. I look back up. "What was he wearing?" "Oh...a suit, with a red tie." "Did the tie have a picture on it?" "Yeah, some swirly 'S' lookin' thing." A Treble staff. Bradley. "Why you so curious?" the guy asks. "No reason." "Anyways, you can have room 215 it's vacant" I look back to the card, ROOM #: 215. He hands me the room key. The Word "Wish" is engraved on the head of the key. "What's this?" He looks at the key. "Oh yeah, all our rooms have names, you like that?" "No, not really" "Well you wanna know why its called wish?" I look at him. This guy is seriously getting on my nerves. "Grants wishes" he says. I look at him. "Listen Mr..." "Smith" he says, "Dunning Smith" "Mr. Smith" I say. "I really don't give a fuck, I just need a place to rest my head tonight." Smith Shrugs. " All right, have it your way, but If ya got somethin' ya want. I mean,really want... Ya just may find it tonight. Ya follow? That's the story...That's Room 215." a shiver goes up my spine. "okay. I'm gonna go...get settled in. thanks. One mor ething, my boss, Ed is sending a package here...have it sent up to me when it gets here?" Dunning gives me a shit-eating grin. "Sure thing, Mr. hyde! oh, and one more thing, I'll need you to pay your bill up front. Policy." "Oh..Okay I'll just" "No," he says, "Go on up to yer room. get settled in, just get the cash to me 'fore nine tonight" "Sure" I say, "Why Not" On the way to my room, I meet a kid. She throws something on the ground and runs away. Weird. I pick up what she threw. its... a puzzle piece?

I get to Room 215 and take a breather. The Room's nicer than I expected. For a dive like this, it's pretty clean. There's a painting of some apples above my bed, a closet, and a tv. I set my suitcase on the bed and try to open it, but trouble won't leave me be and I break my key trying to open my suitcase. I have to pay up front, so I need to get the damn thing open and find my cash. "Fuck" I look around the room for a wire or something I can use to pick the damn lock. I find a wire hanger in my room's closet. Score. There's a knock on the door.

I set the hanger down next to my suitcase and open it up. Standing in front of me is a man in his mid twenties, I'd say twenty-six or so. He's got a ridiculous haircut, can't say I very much like Afros on White guys. he's wearing a raggedy bellboy uniform that seems really out of place on him. He looks oddly familiar somehow. "You order something, brother?" he says. I recognize the voice. "Louie! Jesus Christ, LOUIE!" He drops the package, as well as another package he was holding "Louie, It IS you" This kid's name is Louis DeNonno, but he'll always be Louie to me. Last time I saw him was the winter of '76, three years ago. He was roaming the subways of Manhattan picking pockets for a living. "Why are you here, Louie? Run out of wallets to lift in the Big Apple?" he looks at me. "What's it look like, man? I'm workin' here!" "Bullshit." "That's the God's honest, man! I got my act together! Been three years since I moved out and scored this gig!" Three years... That's about the same time I quit the force. "Did you know it was me before you opened that door?" He throws his hands up, dramatically. "Aw, man, I knew it soon as I saw your name on the package, yeah? Package shows up for the cop what busted me... What're the odds, man? I been here for THREE YEARS! Just started to put all that New York stuff behind me, ya dig? Seeing your name was a total drag." I crack a smile. "Was I really as bad as all that?" Louie nods. "When I first got this gig? Used to check the guest list every day. I was a total freak show. Always afraid someone I knew would show... It was a trip, man! You woulda laughed at what a dork I was. But I got lucky, and never saw a name I recognized. ...But now you show. So what's the deal, Officer Hyde? What you doing all the way out here in a crappy hotel like this? Must be a major bust you got lined up, right? Why else would a Manhattan cop be so far from home?" I shake my head no. He stares at me for a minute. "What?" Louis keeps staring."What? What's the problem? Why're you staring at me?" he laughs a little bit, then shakes his head. "Mellow out, man. No big. Just that...you're different now, ya dig?" "How so?" I must say I'm a little bit intrigued by this. "Well, it's, you know... C'mon, man, you gotta know what I'm sayin'!You got that crappy leather jacket, and your hair? Man, you got serious issues there. This look... It ain't like you, man." "Ain't like me, huh?" "The Officer Hyde I remember always wore a fly black suit. And the way you used to strut around the city? You had it goin' on, man!" He's right. That's how it used to be. That's who I was. We ruled the streets, Bradley. You and me, playing the heroes. "You used to be...I don't know, Cool, ya dig? Even when you were hasslin' me, you were cool." I look him square in the eyes. "My cool ran out. I changed jobs and changed clothes. That's it." He looks at me. "Bummer, man. Well, I got another package to deliver I'll see you later!" He picks up one of the packages he dropped, kicks the other one in to me, and shuts the door in my face. Old faces in new places. I remember the last time I busted him. Was three years ago. I remember every detail about that day, its the day I plugged Bradley.

I set the package down on the bed and open it. There's a crummy looking journal inside. name on the front says "The Secret Word". This isn't what I was expecting. I open the notebook. " at 2:30 on the day of the fifteenth, Henry morgansen..." What is this garbage? I look at the name on the shipping label. "Martin Summer, Hotel Dusk, Room 211" Motherfucker brought me the wrong goddamn box. He's got two packages to deliver and he fucks them both up. Louie. You Idiot!I decide I might as well head for the front desk to straighten things out.

Near the front desk, I see a girl I passed coming here. She's wearing Bradley's bracelet. Oh jesus. its Bradley's Bracelet. gift from his sister, it says "Mila". Is this Mila? I meet the maid. says her name's Rosa. also tells me a guy named Jeff in 213 gave Mila a lift. Problem is, Mila's got no luggage and she's a mute. Rosa, the maid, feels sorry for her and takes her under her rather large wing. A guy named Summer calls the front desk and tells them he has my package. thank god. I tell the maid I'll see her later. She gives me a sour look. What'd I do to you?

I go back upstairs. There's a guy waiting in front of my room. Heavyset. Glasses. Fancy suit. I hate him already. "Hi" he says to me, "I'm Martin, Martin Summer?" I give him a blank expression. "The Author?" Still blank. "don't tell me you've never heard of me?" "Sorry pal, I'm not a reader." He looks a little disappointed. "oh. Perhaps its for the best, then. No Paparazzi here." he laughs at his rather poor attempt at a joke. I shove his notebook into his hands. "This yours?" "Oh, you...you opened my package?" "Sorry 'bout that, I didn't notice the name on the box till after I opened it. "Oh." he says. "you didn't read this, did you?" "I glanced at it, you write it?" "He blushes. "Y-yes." yeah. I hate this guy. "It sucks" I take my package, open my room, and step inside. I shut the door. I open the box. Insideis a list of items I'm supposed to find and some new products. The items I'm supposed to find are a small red box, and this month's issue of "Playboy". The one with Cecily Lee on the cover. Cecly Who? Whatever, it's my job, I'll do it. I give Rachel a buzz and tell her I got the goods. Now that I know what I'm looking for, it's time to start searching the hotel. But this job feels...different somehow. Off. Maybe it's 'cause I ran into Louie. Haven't seen him for three years... Or maybe it's because there was another guest named Kyle Hyde... Guess that girl I met by the front desk could be behind it, too... Whatever it is, Bradley, I can't get you out of my head. I feel like I'm gonna find something big here. Something that's gonna lead me to wherever it is you disappeared to. Tell ya what, Bradley... I think it's gonna be a long night.

Chapter 2

It's 5:30. Guess I have to start searching this dump. I leave my room and shut the door. I hear whistling coming from the linen room. I walk down the hallway towards the Linnen room. I knock. No answer, but the whisteling stops. I try the door. Unlocked. I enter and catch Louie Smoking a J, and reading Playboy. "Hey!" He looks up at me startled, he drops the joint, and stomps it, instinctively. "Officer Hyde!" "Louie. I'm going to pretend I didn't see that. But I feel the need to remind you that Marijuana is highy illegal." "Yeah... Whatever" he has a very guilty look on his face. "Watcha Reading?" "Playboy, man, its the Cecily Lee issue!" My heart skips a beat. Its one of the items from the list. "Look, Louie, I can't explain why but I need that mag, can I have it?" "Sure thing, man. I lifted it off a guest anyways" I guess old habits Die hard, huh, Louie. "Which Guest?" "Summer, dude in 211" That I was okay with. I get ready to leave the Linnen Room, when Louie pipes up, "Yo Hyde" I turn around to face him again. "If You See Rosa don't let her know I'm here." "huh?" "I'm sposed to be cleaning the halls, brother. But I'm done with that" I look at him. The Hall was a mess. "Done with it? Wait a second... What did you clean?" He stares at me blankly for a second. "Why ya hasslin' me? You're startin' to sound like my old lady. Look, Officer... I mean...Hyde. Listen to me for a sec. I'm clean, and I'm workin'. Workin' HARD. I'm like three times more serious than I was in the city. God's honest." I start to respond when he interrupts me. "'mon, man, stop preachin'! This is it for me, ya know? I ain't smart or talented... This is the best I can do. Not being a cop anymore's gotta be rough, yeah? We're the same, man. It's like ya just gotta take a break and catch your breath before ya snap. That maid Rosa's a loud-mouthed old Dunning's a penny-pinchin' slave driver. I'm the only bellhop in this whole stinkin' place. No matter how hard I work, stuff just keeps pilin' up. Like a total energy vampire, man." " What if you get Fired?" Louis Laughs. "Ha! Yeah, right. Fire me? That's rich. Like I'm gonna get fired fromthis gig! Ain't nobody want to work AND live here, man. Nobody 'cept me, I guess. Not so long as those stories are out there..." I look at him for a minute. "Stories?" He proceeded to tell me me a hotel ghost story. Ten years ago or so, a man was staying here with his daughter when she just up and vanished. They got a phonecall from a man claiming to be the child's killer, and telling them where they could find the kid's body. Thing is, when they went to the specified location kid wasn't there. That story Got me spooked. I figured it was time to get out of Louie's hair. I already had one of my Lost and find-its, but I needed to find the other one still. As I was leaving I had an idea. "Say Louie?" "Yeah?" "Where is lost and found stuff usually kept? "Dunning's office" Thanks. "One more thing Hyde." I turn to look at him. "Why'd you quit man, why'd you hang up the badge?" "Well..."

THREE YEARS AGO.

I'm sitting at my desk. Louie's in the holding pen. Louie pipes up "Yo, Officer, Let me go, c'mon!" I walk over to his cell. "Look buddy, please Keep it quiet?" Louie looks me dead in the eye. "Look man, I got a date tonight, kay?" I feel for the kid. I really do. "Alright Louie. I guess I can lose some paperwork or something..." I open the cell and he bolts. "You won't regret this!" he calls back. I regret it already. I sit back at my desk. about an hour goes by, I'm feeling the night, if you know what I mean, and jsut as I'm about to doze off the phone rings. "Officer Kyle Hyde, NYPD" "Hyde, it's...It's Bradley he's on the take."I sit up sharply. I drive like a nut to Bradleys last known location. Warehouse by the docks. I park my car and get out. The warehouse doors are open. Blood on the floor. Fuck. I run inside. there's some kid on the floor. dead. I rush over to him. There's nothing I can do for him. Gunshot to the head. I turn around. there's some kid running away screaming bloody murder. I get up to trail after him. I barely make it out of the warehouse When I come face to face with Bradley, smoking gun in hand. "I'm sorry Kyle. I really am." He backs towards one of the docks. I draw my Piece. "What's going on, man?" Bradley aims the gun at me. I aim mmy gun at him. Standoff. "There's something I need to tell you." he says. "But now is neither the time nor the place." "Did you ice that kid back there" "I had a reason" he prepared to jump from the dock. I pull my trigger. he pulls his. I drop to avoid a bullet with my name on it. Bradley wasn't fast enough. it hits him right in the gut. He topples backwards into the hudson.

NOW

Louie stares at me in awe. "That kid what got iced was my pal Danny" he says. "What?" "Danny. that night, yeah? I said I had a date. I lied. I was sposed to meet with Danny and we was gonna lift some paintings with a colleague of his named J. I get there right, and I walk in on Danny laying dead. and there's J standing over him with a smoking gun. I'll never forget J. With that Treble Staff tie of his.- " "It was Bradley" "What?" "Bradley ALWAYS wore that tie." he looked at me. "Who's paintings were you going to lift?" "Nile" says Louie. Fuck. "That's the cas eBradley was assigned to." Louie goes silent. "Hey, I gotta split. You'd better get outta here, too. This place ain't for guests, ya dig?" After Louie heads back to work, I take a peek at that playboy. The actress Cecily Lee is the cover girl for this issue. December issue of a mag with Cecily Lee on the cover... This must be the magazine on Ed's list.

Out in the hall again I run into the lady staying in 212. Old dame with an eye patch. She asks me If I can help her down to the restaurant. I do, after that I go back up to my room and use the coat hanger from before to open my suitcase. I grab my cash. I pay dunning, and he tells me that since I had the whole Package mix-up I get free dinner and dessert. Nice. He leaves his office to watch the Hockey game. While Dunning's out of the office, I wander in and confirm that a Kyle Hyde stayed in Room 217 six months ago. I also get a file cabinet open and find the small red box that was on my wish list. I'm feeling good about finding the items on the order sheet, but my mood sours when I get apage from ed. I get up to my room and call him. He tells me that when Louie's pal Danny got killed, Nile money went missing...and now Nile wants Louie. I go and find Louie, he's in his bedroom. Louie offers to help me search for Bradley. Thing is, I want answers, and Louie wants blood. Bad things are in the air. Meeting Louie helped me learn some things I didn't know before. That information brought me a step closer to Bradley's trail. But why did Bradley turn his back on the force? Why did he betray me? Even after all this time. I still don't have a clue. Listen, Bradley, I don't know where you're at, or what you're doing. But I think the answer is somewhere in this hotel. A man stayed here six months ago. A man with my name. I know you're connected in some way, Bradley. Tonight, Hotel Dusk's going to show me how. I can feel it.

Chapter 3

On the way to dinner, I catch the kid from earlier and her old man, Kevin, giving her an earful. I finally learn her name, Melissa. I give her back the puzzle piece from before. She just sticks her tongue out at me. Her pops is some kind of sawbones, and he seems real worried that Melissa said something about his missing wife. Whoop-dee-doo. Louie's playing host at the restaurant entrance. He's traded in his Bellboy uniform for a snazzy waiter type outfit. Red Bowtie, black vest, the works. I say "Hi" and he tells me that Room 217, where the other me was, has been empty for six months. I ask him to lift the room key for me, then go to dinner. Before I can get inside, I run into this dame, Iris. She looks an awful lot liek that chick Cecily Lee, but I don't say nothing about it. She's staying in 216. She says that Melissa smacked her with a rag doll. When I get inside, I find the doll on a chair and take it. When I finish stuffing my face with Rosa's home cooking, Summer shows. Fucking Summer.

"Uh, Mr Hyde..." he begins. I mentally groan. "It seems when you opened my package you misplaced one of the contents." Spit it out shakespeare. "yes, you see there was to be a bookmark within my manuscript." "Is it that important?" "Well, yes, Mr. Hyde I-" "Don't worry. I'll find it." "Thank you." Rosa's the next one out, she's here to collect my dishes. Rosa tells me that Summer is actually a best-selling novelist. After dinner, Louie shows me a fountain pen he found. The words "To Alan, with love" are engraved on it, but there's no one named Alan in this place.

I decide to take the doll up to 219 and give it to Melissa. When I get there her father's out. She shows me the puzzle that the piece I found is from. she makes solve her puzzle. Seems the puzzle's a gift from her missing mom. I finish the puzzle. It's a picture of a pink Rabbit standing in front of a Barn. It's Pinky Rabbit from a show I used to watch when I was a kid. I flip the puzzle, looks like it might be a double sided puzzle. On the back of the puzzle it says "goodbye Melissa, I love you" I look over at Melissa. She's asleep. Typical. I leave her room , and bump into her father. So that's Melissa's father, huh? I can see why his wife split. I head back to my room.

I can't help thinking there's something odd about Kevin and Melissa... Oh, right... I've got to track down that bookmark for Summer. I search the box in my room and find Summer's missing bookmark with an angel icture on it. I take it to Summer and learn it shows the Angel Opening a Door, which was painted by a cat called Osterzone. More problems with Melissa. She and the old man get into it, and she runs to Room 218. Problem is, the room's got no power, and she gets locked in. Louie Tells me he was in there earlier and left the door open. Fucking, Louie! He shows me where to go, and I fix the switchboard and get her out in one piece. Melissa says her folks fought like cats in the rain, and that's why her mom split. Kid seems pretty torn up about the whole thing, and I guess I can't blame her. The Kid tells me her dad was desperate to get to this place. He had an old brochure, something about finding her mother.

After I get her back in room 219, her dad comes out to talk to me. "Hey." he says to me. "Uh, hi" we look at each other awkwardly. "How's Melissa doing?" Kevin looks at me confused. "Melissa? I... She's fine. I think she's in our room. Why... Why would you ask?" Dad of the Year award for this guy... I reply, angrily "Because about ten minutes ago she was in a total panic." This seems to shock him. "What? What do you mean? Did something happen to her?" He grabs my collar. This guy, seriously. "She got locked in room 218. Seems our brilliant Bellboy" I look over to louie, "left it open." Kevin lets go of me, and wipess the sweat from his forehead. "Where is she now?" "Back in your room." Kevin goes back into room 219.

OK, Hyde... Think. Why did Melissa's mother up and leave. And why would Kevin take his kid to a hole like this? This whole thing stinks like last week's lunch. Time to organize, Hyde. Take a second and get your thoughts together... It's time I got ready for my first night at Hotel Dusk. I get the feeling that all the guests here are hiding secrets... And why Melissa's mom vanished is just one of them. There's also the guy with my name who stayed in 217 six months ago. The story about that bookmark picture got my wheels turning, too. Too many mysteries in my life. And I'm so damn tired... Well, guess I better poke around and see what else I can find. Who knows? Something here may get me a step closer to Bradley.

Chapter 4

Maybe it's time to look into this angel painting. Might help to find out about that Osterzone fellow, too. My pager goes off. I got to call rachel. I make my way back to room 215. along the way i bump into the guy from room 213. "Hey watch it" he says. I give him a good look. he looks to be about 17. he's wearing a "Star Wars" T-Shirt, and blue Jeans. What's he doing in a place like this? he goes back into his room. I return to Room 215. I pick up the phone and call Rachel. she fills me in on a few non-essentials, and I tell her to look into this Osterzone fellow. She says she'll do what she can. There's a knock on the door. it's Louie. "Yo, Hyde, I got you the key to Room 217 like you asked. "Thanks." After I get the key to 217 from Louie, I go in and give it the once-over. I find Bradley's ligther and a photo of a man and a young girl. Now I've got proof that Bradley really was here.

I return to 215 and find the floor soaked. I check the bathroom and discover a plastic bag full of loot in the toilet tank. Twenty Grand. Fuck Me. No way it got there by magic, so that's one more problem. I head to the front desk and find Jeff from 213 talking to Dunning. "I've looked enough, you corn-fed hick! Why am I standing here repeating myself? It's been stolen! Do you understand what I'm telling you? Get off your lazy butt and start looking!" Dunning gives him a dirty look. aafter he leaves I talk to Dunning about it. Dunning Tell's me that Jeff's. Twenty Grand. Fuck me. Punk demands that the old man search every guest's belongings.

Rosa waylays me and gets me to help her secure Summer's autograph. I take her book to Summer. I knock on the door to 211. he opens up for me. "Oh, hello there, Mr. Hyde. I must tell you about this article I was reading in the newspaper. It seems there was a burglary in Beverly Hills last night. Quite brazen, really... The victim was an attorney named Larry Damon. Mr. Damon happens to be a friend of mine, you see? I do hope he is doing , well, I apologize for the tangent. Did you perchance need something?" this guy. "Rosa asked me If she could have your autograph. here's a book she wants you to sign" He takes the book. "Ah yes, The Secret Word, my first book. It's about a cunning novelist who steals his best friend's work and publishes it as his own" "Like I care" He shoots me a dirty look. He opens the book to sign. "Mr. Hyde," he says, "It appears I have misplaced my pen." I show him the pen Louie found, and he says it's his. "That's funny." I say. "this pen says, 'To Alan, With Love'. your name alan?" Summer turns beet red. He signs his name on the front page. Something seems off about the signature. Then it clicks. its not the same handwriting in the notebook from earlier. "I think you'd better leave, Mr. Hyde" he says to me. "Say," I say, "I'm just an average Joe. A salesman who doesn't spend time reading, you know? But talking with you, a guy who's written a best seller, got me to thinking... What's it like to write a book? To have strangers know you and all that jazz? So I was hoping you could fill me in on a couple of things. Like, how do you write a best seller? Stuff like that." He looks at me for a minute. " How does one write a best-selling novel? Is that what you are asking me?" "Yeah! I mean, you wrote The Secret Word, and everybody read it, right? So teach me. Tell me how to come up with a story that everyone loves." He staggers backwards "Bu... But you can't... Be reasonable, sir! I intend no offense, but the thought of a man such as you taking up the pen is... The world of literature is not such an easy and forgiving place. Speak no more of it!" He's hiding something. I'm gonna find it. "you know what, There's something odd about it. The handwriting in the notebook? Not yours. So be honest with me. Who wrote this book?" "It's me, of course! Could it be anyone else? Mr. de, on what do you base your assertion? How can you claim that I am not the author of the notebook? Do you have some proof to back your preposterous proclamation? If you do, then I must insist that you present it at once!" I show him the handwriting sample from his notebook. I show him hois signature. NO MATCH. "So who actually wrote it? Was it Alan?" " Do you want the truth? The truth is something I fear, lest it be discovered and exposed to all. It haunts me, and has kept me from even one restful night these past ten years. Mr. Hyde... If I could take the secrets I've kept hidden away in my soul... If for one moment I could share them with another human being... It might not be too late. I might yet be able to make a fresh start. Please, Mr. Hyde, would you do me the favor of hearing my sad, ponderous tale? When I was young, I wanted nothing more than to be a novelist. Upon graduating university, I found work writing for a small magazine. I reported local news by day and chased my dream every other waking moment. And yet, as the years slipped by, I realized I was failing...and fading. I was incapable. I had no muse to guide me, no words would come, I... I... I prepared to let my dream wither and die. But it was at that moment, my darkest hour, that I met Alan" Oh jesus he won't shut up. "We frequented the same cafe and knew each other's faces well. One day we struck up a conversation, and soon after became fast friends. Our lives were very strikingly similar. We were the same age, for one. In addition, we were both reporters, and we had both been raised by our fathers. The thing that surprised me most was discovering Alan's dream for the future. As you may have surmised, Alan, too, longed to be a novelist. And yet... Although we shared many similarities, there was one aspect where we differed. Alan had not abandoned his dream. In fact, he was totally consumed by it. He pursued the craft with a fervor and desire I could only faintly recall. Moreover, he was a man of immense talent. Alan knew nothing of my impotent ambitions, and one day he... He gave to me a manuscript that was to be his entry in a writing contest." I could see where this was going. "I couldn't think. I was drained, empty, filled with jealousy and rage and... And into this dark void an even blacker thought was born. If only the manuscript were mine... If it were mine, my forsaken dream might yet come to fruition. So I submitted it as My own work. it was hailed as a masterpiece, and I was on top of the world. Alan had been betrayed by his only friend. He disappeared. Vanishing one day without a trace. Oh, how I have searched for him these past ten years. And yet, I am no closer to finding him than I was when I started. Mr. Hyde, I became a novelist by stealing Alan's work, but... I do not possess his talent. Each book I write is poorer than the one before... And then...the unthinkable. My assistant, Dan, found Alan's purloined notebook." "He blackmailed you" Summer sighs. "He blackmailed me. In fact the only reason why I'm here...Is because Alan once told me that a place called hotel Dusk is the most important place to him in the whole world. I thought...I thought I might find him here." I take his autographed book back from him, to give to rosa. "Well, Good night mr. summer. "That's it, you're just leaving?" "I'm just leaving." "But...Mr. Hyde, I've born My soul to you, you have no idea-" "Look. I don't give a flying fuck, okay? I was curious, I got some answers the end. I'll see you later." "Be Seeing you" Summer called to me, as I left his room. So Summer stole his pal's story... Wonder what his buddy Alan's up to now. And what was the memory he told me about? What in the hell happened here? How many secrets does this place have? Starting to get on my nerves. C'mon, Hyde... Think...Searching Room 217 confirmed my hunch. Bradley was here six months ago. But now I got some other things to take care of before I can follow up on these leads. The guests here eat, sleep, and hoard secrets like squirrels hoard nuts. I was willing to let 'em take their private affairs home and let it be. But that was before somebody decided to stash a wad of cash in my john. Now it looks like I gotta be part of this circus sideshow. Well, so be it. I feel the old instincts kicking in, and somewhere a part of me grins. I'm still looking for anything that'll lead me to Bradley, but... Nothing's stopping me from taking out the trash along the way.

Chapter 5

I ran into Rosa on the way back to my room, and gave her the book . she was thrilled. Once back in 215, I talk to Rachel, and she gives me the goods on Osterzone. She also tells me that Angel Opening a Door was swiped from a Manhattan art museum three years ago. I drop by Rosa's room and use my notebook to have a chat with Mila. She tellsme that her old man's name is Robert Evans, and that the bracelet she's wearing was a gift from him. Melissa comes calling and asks me to fix her doll. While I play Betsy Ross, she tells me that Jeff was in my room. He was also in the linen room, and when I check it out, I find a hidden pistol. Fuck Me.

To get the skinny on Jeff, I team up with Louie and have him lure the punk out of his room. While he's distracted, I go into his room and take a buzz through his things. I find Jeff's student ID card, which is how I learn his last name's actually Damon. I confront the kid, but he's harder than I thought, and won't crack about hiding the cash in my john. When it all comes back to me. What Summer said before. "I must tell you about this article I was reading in the newspaper. It seems there was a burglary in Beverly Hills last night. Quite brazen, really... The victim was an attorney named Larry Damon. Mr. Damon happens to be a friend of mine, you see? I do hope he is doing well." Oh, Fuck me. I bring it up casually. he ignores it. "you say you're real name's Damon?" "Yeah, So what?" "is this guy in the paper, Larry Damon... your father" "No" I can tell he's lying. I hate this kid more and more by the minute. "You little punk. You think you know what the world's like? You think you're hot shit? You never used a gun in your life. Oh sure, you imagined what it would be like. But you got no idea what it's like to pull the trigger. To take a life. You got no idea what it takes to bleed a man out and watch his light go. I don't know what set you off, but I know you wanted to put a scare into Poppa. That's why you took his cash and his heater and ran like hell. 'Course, you didn't know what to do with 'em after you stole 'em. And after you showed your belly and ran, you had nowhere to 's why you toss a gun into a laundry cart like it means nothing. So you find a girl on the road with a hotel brochure, and you end up here. And that's when you meet me. Just some down-on-his-luck salesman. Not too bright. Not too dangerous. You plant the goods on me, then sit back and wait for Poppa to love you again." "I don't...No, I" " ENOUGH! I did NOT come to this hellhole just to hear you bleat like a damn sheep! You are going to tell me everything, and you are going to do it now. Do not make me ask twice." The kid fucking cracks. "..All right. All right. What do I say? I mean...you're right. You lived in the world. Me? I mean, I'm just a kid. I'm nothing. Just a spoiled little rich kid. It's...it's true. Everything you said is true. I can't stand my poppa. I can't forgive him for who he is and what he does. I did all this just to get under his skin. I didn't plan it. I just...opened the safe and grabbed the stuff and ran. But I didn't know what he'd done until I saw the newspaper. He knew it was me who took his precious money and his damn gun. He knew it was me, and he still called the cops. You know what my parents are doing right now? Mom's crying on the sofa. And Poppa? He's telling her how he's doing this for me. Teaching me a lesson. You want to know what my poppa's like, right? Let me tell you. He's a defense lawyer. And not just any lawyer. The best. A genius. Hire Poppa, and he'll convince a jury that black is white and night is day. That's why people spend a fortune getting him to defend them. And if you can pay, it doesn't matter what you've done. Theft? OK! Assault? Sure! Tax evasion? No problem! Murder? He's your man. He'll go to bat for anyone. Even organized crime. Hell, ESPECIALLY organized crime. Right now he's working for a group of lowlifes called Nail or Nile or something." Jeff's old man is working for Nile? Oh, kid... "Where'd you learn all this?" "He'd bring these men by the house from time to time. Unsociable types, you know? Poppa said they had business they couldn't discuss at the office. I happened to...overhear some of their conversations, and that's how I found out. That these guys were part of Nile, I mean. Poppa's getting filthy rich off what these guys are paying him. So it's cool that I, uh, boosted a small chunk of it. Right?" Twenty thousand is a small chunk? I'm in the wrong business. "Since I learned Poppa called the cops, I've been thinking... He wants me to come crawling home with my tail between my legs. And hey, why not, right? That's what I've always done... But I've changed. I'm not going to do that again. I'm going to embarrass him. That's why I did all this and tried to get Dunning to call the police. I figure they'll get here, see through my story, and arrest me. My being arrested will cause all kinds of trouble for Poppa. Then the press will come and ask why I did it... And I'll tell 'em. I'll tell them what a crook Poppa is. I'll tell them all the dirty stuff he's doing." This kid...Is An idiot. "You know something, kid? I've seen dumb before, but it's not often I meet stupid." He looks at me. "You trying to punch your old man's ticket to the morgue?" I toss the cash, the gun, and the student ID on the floor. " This is yours. Take it and go home. Go see your father. You think this is a good plan? Think you're smart? What happens when you go to the press and talk about how your old man's mobbed up? You think Nile's just going to sit back and do nothing? Go ahead. Shoot your mouth off. You and the old man can push up daisies together. You want the old man to change? You change first. Stop depending on him for everything. Try standing on your own two feet. Do that, and your old man'll come around. You'll be showing him how to live. Now get outta here." The kid looks up at me, bewildered. "And you're just letting me go?" I nod. "I expect you to be checked out within 15 minutes." he nods. I exit his room.

Looks like I've wrapped up Jeff and his burglary fiasco. But... Still can't believe Jeff's old man has ties to Nile. The coincidences are piling up faster than I can count. How many times have I heard the name Nile since I've been here? I'd better take a breather and clear my head. I head up to the rooftop, where I can get some fresh air. there's a cool evening breeze. Jeff's yarn was sad in a pitiful sort of way. Another father-and-son story gone wrong. It did convince me of one thing though: people do stupid things. But when you ask them, they always got a reason. Tell me, Bradley... Why'd you do it? For what price did you sell our trust? Your soul? Maybe that's all I want to know. Maybe that's why I'm chasing ghosts and lies. The sun sets, and Hotel Dusk retreats into darkness. Like the shadows that creep across the floor, I'm moving toward an answer.

Chapter 6

Nine o'clock. ...Bar's open. Hell, I cleared up that mess with Angel. Might as well celebrate with a drink. I walk on down to the bar. I walk in. Louie's Bartending. Great. "Yo Hyde! My Man!" he calls, "Watcha Drinking?" "Bourbon." I didn't even have to think about that, "Make it a double" Louie cracks me a smile. "And you said your cool ran out, huh?" I look at him. "Hope you tend bar better than you deliver packages." He looks hurt. "Lemme tell you a secret, my man... This here is the best place in the whole hotel. Most every job old man Dunning makes me do is a total drag. Makes me wanna take a long lunch and just keep on walkin', ya dig? 'Cept this one. Brother, I could stand back here all day. So whaddya think? Beauty of a bar, ain't she?" Louie's serious about all this. Guess He finally found his dream job. "It's a bit of all right" I say. Louie looks satisfied. Louie sets my drink on the counter and leaves me in peace. ...Good man. I swirl the deep amber around the glass and listen to the music of the ice. It smells of good earth, with hints of charcoal dancing around the edges. The first sip is a slow burn. I sit for a moment, letting the fire spread through me... "HA HA HA! Oh, my brother, my BROTHER!" Louie Pipes up, "Been forever since I seen a cat make a drink look that good!" I smile. "Been a long time since I had a drink this good, thanks man." "Hey, you're the cat what made my day! Feel like the best barman in the world right about now!" He's truly happy. I take a good long sip. "Say, Hyde," He starts. I look at him. "I don't mean to interrupt your quiet time or nothin'. But we got us a jukebox in the corner there if you want some drinking tunes" This dump's got a jukebox? I get up and walk ofer to the juke. its got some real classics, that's for sure. I slide a nickel into the slot, and look for a good tune. "Louie, you got Pinball Wizard? Good man!" I select it and return to my seat. Soon The Who is blasting through the bar. My Kinda night.

After a while me and louie get to talking about the Kyle who was here six months back, and Louie says both he and Rosa had the day off when he was here. This is not looking good. Dame from 212 comes in, you know, old Eye Patch? Says her name's helen. Orders a Gimlet. She shows me a coin trick, and I learn she used to be a magician. I also find out that she's stayed here twice in the last twenty years, once every ten years. Seems she's got some painful memories. I feel for the broad. I'm a little buzzed, and I figure its time to leave. I get up, but When I go to pay my tab, Helen says she's got it. Nice gal.

I leave the bar and bump into Rosa, who asks me to run around the hotel and fetch a label off a bottle of wine. Seems that Helen wants to keep the thing as some kind of memento. As a favor to Rosa, I peel the label off of Helen's bottle and bring it to her. I press Helen about her previous stays here, and she opens up and tells me all about her past. Seems Helen spent her youth dreaming of the spotlight. After she had a kid, she abandoned him to make it as a magician. After regret set in, she bumped into him here twenty years ago. Helen learned that her son wanted to be a writer, so she gave him an engraved fountain pen. This sparks something off in my mind. "What's your son's name?" "Alan." she says. "Alan Parker". Fuck me. "I'll be right back" I tell her.

I walk next door to the plagiarist's Room. Knock Knock, Asshole. He opens on the fourth knock. "Oh, Mr. Hyde." He seems suprised to see me. "Can I help you with something?" "Gimme the pen." He seems Shocked. "You heard me!" I say, "Gimme the damn Pen!" He hands me the pen. "To Alan With Love" "Mr. Hyde, What's this about?" I shut the door in his face. Back to 213. Knock Knock. Helen lets me in. "This your son's?" I ask her. I hold out the pen. Her face lights up like a christmas tree. "Oh, my! Yes! Wherever did you get this? Is Alan here? Is he in the hotel?" I shake my head, no. "Buddy of his is, though." She looks shaken up. "Who?" "Guy named Summer, Martin Summer" She stares at me blankly. "Look," I say, "Alan is missing. Guy with the pen is looking for him. As I understand it, Alan wrote a book and this chump stole it from him. Sounds like your boy was shook up about it, and vanished soon after." Her face turns Red. " My son had always dreamed of being a writer. On that night ten years ago, he told me that he'd almost achieved his dream. It was hard work, but I knew he would never give up. It was a dream, after all. Oh, to think that it has been taken from him! It breaks my heart... It truly does. I want to find the man whodid this to my Alan, and make him pay!" I chuckle a little bit. The old Broad's got some fight left in her yet. "Look," I say, "you're a tough broad and I like that, but it's too late. The guy who plagiarized your son's novel already fessed up. He's searching for your son so he can clear things up and make amends. I think the real question is whether or not your son will forgive him." "I have faith in my son." She says. "If this man is truly sorry, I believe in my heart of hearts that my son will forgive him." I nod in agreement. I look at her. I feel for her. "I think you should have this pen. Maybe you can give it back to its owner someday." She smiles, and takes the pen from me. "Thank you, young man." I nod. "Think that's my cue." as I start to leave she asks, "Where are you going now?" "Wherever the night takes me." and with that, I leave her room.

Alan is Helen's son... Didn't see that one coming. Summer's going to do backflips when he hears this. And I'll probably have to tell him. OK, Hyde. Time to think. Night has fallen over the city...and the hotel. I know the dark. It's a cover that lets people's bad sides run wild. Envy. Doubt. Grief. ...They all come out at night. Bradley... What do you think of at night? When the darkness comes? I've got until dawn to find out.

Chapter 7

And the clock strikes ten... Maybe I'll join Louie in the bar for

another belt. "Get me a scotch!" I say to Louie. He grins. "Right on it, My brother. He grabs a nickel and jams it into the juke. "The Who, was it?" I nod. the sounds of 'Bellboy' pervade the bar. Guess this song kinda describes Louie, huh? Louie sets my drink down in front of me. Good man. I take a drink of scotch. The world stops for a moment as I sit and I stare into the glass. The ice shifts. A single piece slips beneath the surface, never to rise again... And then I hear Bradley's voice in my head... "Hey, buddy. When this case wraps up, we need to have a chat. There's something I need to talk to you about. Can you make the time?" Louie Looks at me. "You alright, Hyde?" I look up from my Drink. "Yeah, I'm alright. Say. What made you come out here, anyway? After Danny Got Iced I mean. What made you decide...'I wanna do something with my life'?" Louie gazes at me. "To tell you the truth, brother, it was you" This I got to hear. "I ain't saying it all started 'cause I met you... But you know when I started thinkin' 'bout it? It was after ya laid that story on me in the cop shop back in Manhattan." "Story?" I ask. Now I'm intrigued. " Ah, man! Don't tell me you forgot. Was the third time ya busted me. We was in one of them crappy little interview rooms. C'mon! I can still hear ya! "You dream of being a thief as a kid, Louie? This your dream job? I'm sure there's something else you wanted, right? Fireman? Doctor? Superhero?" I was starin' at the ceiling and thinkin' you was gonna play good cop that day. Gimme the "you can turn your life around, son" speech, yeah? Then ya got real quiet, and this serious look came into your eyes. Remember? That's when ya did it, man. Ya made up that story to save me from myself." "Hold it," I say, "I don't remember any of this." He looks surprised. "no? I remember the whole thing. You said it was when you was ten... your pops used to be a safecracker, you said. You said your pops decides to go straight... Decides to take one last box job and then gets bumped off? I gotta tell ya, Hyde. Even when I knew you was pulling my leg, I almost cried." "You thought it was a lie, huh?" "You told me your pops didn't wanna be a thief. Said he wanted to be an artist. Then ya leaned in close and talked so quiet I could barely hear. "Don't make the mistake he did. Don't live a lie." Total trip, man... Then ya told me that unless I was lookin' to do hard time, I better find what I wanted. "Find it, grab it, and never let it go." Amen to that, my man. When I first started working here, I couldn't sleep. Just laid on that crap-ass bed Dunning gave me and stared at the ceiling. And then one night, that story just pops in my head, yeah? And it hits me. Even though I'm just a damn street punk, I got somethin'. Seems pretty small to most normal folks, but it's mine and I got it." "That was a true story Louie." He looks taken aback. "No way, man! For reals?" I nod. "Pops Got Iced when I was ten." Louie has to think about this a minute. "Whoa, man. Harsh." He thinks a minute. "you know what, I bet you're a great bowler." What the hell is he talking about now? "Uh..I'm okay..." "tell ya what. Meet me back here around eleven. We'll bowl together." "In the hotel." "Yeah" he's nuts. "Okay" I say, and stand up to leave the bar.

I'm still in the bar when Summer rolls in and tells me that he thinks Iris is really an up-and-coming actress named Cecily Lee. I leave the bar and run into Melissa, who's looking for her old man. Melissa tells me she didn't get a Christmas tree this year, so I dig a tree out of storage and decorate it for her. Mila and Louie swing by, and we have ourselves a belated Christmas shindig. Melissa conks out, so I get Louie to take her back to her room. Mila and I keep talking, and I find out that her father owned an art gallery called Gallery May. Seems that Mila came here looking for him. I meet Kevin in the lobby and tell him to go find his kid, but the good doctor is three sheets to the wind. I return to the bar, where Louie tells me the doc was talking about Gallery May with Iris. I'm curious about the gallery, so I find Iris and ask about it. I learn that a friend of hers used to work there. Then, in a panic, she tells me that someone took an envelope from her suitcase. I want to know what's in the envelope, so I tell Iris I'll shake the trees and see what falls out.

I find Kevin in the hallway trying to sober up. I wave away the fumes and ask him some questions. He's belligerent, but he eventually tells me why his wife left him. Seems he screwed up and got sued for malpractice. Grace somehow came up with the money to settle the suit, but wouldn't tell Kevin where she got it. With all the trust gone, they started fighting all the time, and she eventually hit the road. Kevin also tells me that Grace worked at Gallery May before they were married, and that she stayed at Hotel Dusk two years ago. Things are starting to come together, and a picture is emerging in my mind. I tell the Doc to go see his kid. the brat loves him. he nods, and heads back to his room.

I go back into my room. I sit on the bed, and think. So that's what happened to Melissa's mom, huh? Wonder how Grace scored all that cash. Why did she come to Hotel Dusk? And how are Iris and Grace connected? Take a deep breath, Hyde... What was in the envelope? Just another question for the pile. Evening wasn't a total bust, though. Kevin tied one on, and I waved the fumes away long enough to grill him. He told me Melissa's mom, Grace, worked at a place called Gallery May. Also told me about some malpractice suit he lost a few years back. But I need to know how Grace raised the money to pay the thing off. As I listened to Kevin spill his guts, an idea started to swirl in my brain. There's a connection here. Bradley disappears with Osterzone's angel painting... Doc's missing wife works at an art gallery. Like my old man used to say, "Where there's smoke, there's fire." You hear me coming, Bradley? Hotel Dusk's got the key to this whole mess, and I'm going to find it tonight.

Chapter 8

Eleven o'clock. Time to show Louie how a real man bowls. But first, I've got some real business to take care of. Someone took an envelope from Iris, and I want to know who...and why. The phone rings. I pick Up. It's Ed. After I ask Ed to look into Robert Evans and Gallery May, I hang up. I leave my room just in time to see the door to the Utility Closet slam shut. As I approach, it swings open again. Dunning comes out. "Hyde? What you doing out at 11:00 at night?" "Oh..I'm just...heading up to the roof for some fresh air. Oh." he eyes me warily, then goes down the stairs. I open the utility closet. Inside I find Iris's stolen envelope in a trash can. I also find a cassette tape that was in the envelope.

"You got a tape deck Louie?" I'm back in the bar. I've just searched my room for a tape deck, ain't one there. I went out to my car, but the tape deck's busted, all I got is the old AM/FM. Louie looks shocked. "Whoa, second tonight!" "What do you mean?" "Old man Dunning comes by round a half hour ago asking the same thing" I look him straight in the eye. "Well do you?" "Yeah" says Louie. "Here" he hands me a walkman. I take it from him, and put the tape I found in the garbage in. It's a man's voice. "I ain't Paintin' No More!" there's another voice too, "One last painting, please!" the tape stops. something fishy's going on around here. "Well, what's on the tape, hyde?" I play it for him. "Whoa, Trip!" He looks upset. "This is not good, sounds like blackmail to me!" Me too. I nod. It's definitely some sort of shady deal recorded on the sly. I don't know why Iris has this, and I decide to press the dame for more details. I go back up to her room. I press the right buttons and Iris comes clean. "Look" she says, "I don't know what the tape is for. When Grace sent me the tape, she gave me a message. If I didn't hear from her by Christmas, I was to come to this pathetic hotel. And I had to bring the tape with me. I'm supposed to hand it over to a certain man." sounds interesting. she continues, "I asked her. Grace, I mean. I asked her who she meant. But... She just told me to give it to the man who painted the angel. I hoped that I'd understand when I got here, but I don't. So here I am. A girl with no plan, trapped in the worst hotel in the world. I'm lost, Mr. Hyde. I have no idea who this man is or how to find him." "How DO you know Grace, anyways?" She looks at me weird. "We're sisters Mr. Hyde" This comes as a shock to me. "That why you were getting friendly with her hurband earlier?" "Her...Her husband?" she asks. "Kev Woodward, Room 219." "Oh my god, than that girl..." "Is your niece." I complete her sentence. "I swear, Mr. Hyde, I didn't know... Look. Our mother was a kind, beautiful woman, but she was weak. Terrified of being alone, easily manipulated, terribly sad. I'm sure you know the type. She fell in love so easily, and always with the wrong kind of man. They used her and hurt her and left her... And then she would just find another one. We lived on the run. Running away from the last bad man and toward the next. And every time we moved, we got a new father. In truth, Grace and I are only half sisters. I don't even remember her father. But it didn't matter. Growing up, we were inseparable. When you're always the new kid, you hang on to what you have. We were best friends. But then my mother died, and Grace and I were separated... I thought I would die as well. Our mother died young, you see. In a plane crash. Do you remember that Las Vegas plane crash in 1960? She was on it. I was nine years old, and far too young to understand. She was just...gone. The man she was with at the time was a pathetic snake. The airline gave Grace and me a large sum of money, and he took it all. Once that was done, he stashed us in separate orphanages and vanished. Grace and I, we... We lost contact. I was eventually adopted, but I didn't care much for my new parents. At fifteen, I ran away and spent five years in a blur of hotels and highways... When I was twenty, I found work at some run-down diner in Santa Monica. And one day, Grace walked back into my life. It's funny. I knew her right away, but she... She didn't know me at first. I guess those five years changed me more than I thought. Anyway, after a few moments, she recognized me and we were reunited. She was so beautiful, Mr. Hyde. Just...beautiful. She had gone to college and made something of herself." "She worked at an art gallery" Iris nods. "She was working as a curator at a place called Gallery May. And she was engaged to a doctor. We promised to meet up later, but instead I quit and fled Santa Monica. I heard Grace was looking for me, but I never tried to contact her. I was ashamed, Mr. Hyde. She was radiant, and I was...pathetic. I didn't want her to see me like that, and so I ran away. ...Again. I decided to follow my dream of becoming an actress. I jumped from city to city, taking any role that was thrown my way. And in that fashion, time just...passed. But two years ago, Grace tracked me down. I had just been featured in some magazine photo shoot. Grace saw it and tracked me down through the agency. I was shocked by what she had become. The girl from Santa Monica was gone. Her eyes, Mr. Hyde. Her eyes were so sad... She waited until we were alone and then broke down. She told me she needed money. She begged me to help her. Mr. Hyde, I could have sold my entire life and not come close to what she needed. And she wouldn't even tell me what it was for! I told her no. I had no choice, I... I couldn't dream of getting that kind of money. She was sobbing, Mr. Hyde. Sobbing and apologizing and... She told me she was sorry for asking the impossible. And that she didn't really care about the money. She just wanted to see me. She said it gave her the courage to do what must be done. ...For her family. It was like we were little girls all over again. The envelope arrived about a year and a half after that. It contained a letter and that cassette tape. I don't have the letter, but I read it again and again and remember every word. "Iris, my family desperately needed money, and I did a terrible thing. If you don't hear from me by Christmas, I need you to do something for me. Take this tape to Hotel Dusk." The letter went on to tell me to give the tape to the man who painted the angel. So! Here I am. What a fantastic Christmas this is turning out to be... Anyway, that's all I know, Mr. Hyde. The tape is a mystery. The letter is a mystery. I was scared when that tape went missing, but I guess it doesn't matter. None of it tells me how to find this man who paints angels. I hoped that coming here would clear everything up, but it didn't. I'm clueless, Mr. Hyde. Clueless and frustrated and just plain tired of it all." The amount of goddamn coincidences in one night..."Kevin's been looking for Grace for a long time. And Melissa's getting pretty desperate, too. Guess we can add you to the mix. We still got hope. We know the guy who made the angel painting is here. And I'm going to look for him. If I find him, I bet I'll find Grace, too. here's your tape back." I'll leave Iris be, for now. So Iris is Grace's sister... Grace knew a man who paints angels. Hotel Dusk and the angel painting have to be connected. Maybe I can figure it out... And maybe that'll tell me why Bradley came here in the first place.

I walk on down to the bar and meet up with Louie. We have an impromptu bowling match, and he ends up breaking a potted plant. But that turns into a piece of good news, because we find the wine cellar key inside. Rosa hears about Mila's missing father, and thinks it's Dunning. She tells Mila she knows her father, but turns out she's wrong. Her mistake reveals that Dunning has a daughter of his own. Wow. Never knew the old bastard had it in him. Poor Mila. I know a little something about searching for people... I know it's hard. Not something a girl like her should have to face. When you find people that don't want to be found, you learn some hard truths. Mila knows that those truths are coming... But she can't stop looking. It'llhurt when she's done, but only for a bit. Then it's over and done with. But until she finds her old man, she's just going to go on hurting.

I head back up to my room. Ed rings up and lets me know that Robert Evans closed up Gallery May seven years ago and vanished off the face of the earth. So Robert Evans went missing seven years ago. What the hell happened to him? And I want to know more about Dunning's daughter. All right. I'm definitely getting close. To what? I don't know, but to something. Iris's tale... Rosa's confession... Ed's new info... Things are starting to come together, but I still got questions. Questions about Mila's father, Dunning's daughter, and some picture of an angel. The strands of this mystery are starting to fray. I can see them getting rough around the edges. And Bradley? I think your story is the one thread I need to pull. The one that'll make this whole damn thing unravel.

Chapter 9

It's Midnight. Something Rosa said got me interested. Rosa said there were five apple paintings. Seeing as Paintings seem to keep popping up in all my conversations, I might as well take a look at all the apple paintings in the hotel. First was in my room. I look at it. What's this? there's a letter painted beneath one of the apples! I wander around the hotel for a bit. Eventually I find four of the paintings. I discover that a letter of the alphabet is hidden in each one. There are five apple paintings in all. Rosa tells me that the last one's locked in Room 111. She gets me in to take a look, and I figure out the secret code hidden in the paintings. I arrange the letters in the paintings and spell the name Jenny. That name and Room 111 makes Mila remember something, and she faints dead away. I use mouth-to-mouth and revive Mila, and she comes around and starts talking. Who knew?

Mila finds her voice and tells us how she came to the hotel ten years ago with her old man. "I was here with mi daddy..and..A girl... ...A friend I met here... My friend... Papa said... Stay and wait... With Jenny... So...we played... But Jenny...she...she..." "She got taken?" "A...man... A strange man...with a scary face." Before I can get anything else out of her, Rosa Chips in. " Oh, Mila! You poor, poor girl! You must be tired! Let's get you back to Rosa's room! It's OK! I'm going to take good care of you! Mr. Hyde, I'm going to see to it that this little girl gets the rest she needs! You'll have to ask her about your paintings later!" Just when I wa sgetting close, too.

Kevin sees Mila leaving 111 and tells me that until six months ago she was a patient at his hospital. Seems she was in a coma for ten years, and her recovery is some kind of miracle. Doc then tells me that Mila's old man stopped coming to see her right before she woke up. Also tells me that a guy named Kyle Hyde came to see her. Fuck Me. Bradley. Are you out there? I get back up to my room, and I call Ed. I need answers, And I need them now. I talk to Ed, and he tells me that ten years ago Robert Evans owned the Dusk. Then seven years back Evans passed the title for the hotel on to some guy named Dunning Smith. Holy shit. Dunning. How does he fit into all of...this? I'm still processing this new info when Rosa pops in to say that Dunning ran off with Mila. I check out Dunning's room, but no one's there. I do find some interesting things, though.

Dunning had a collection of birthday cards addressed to Jenny, an old hotel brochure, and a newspaper article on Osterzone. Thing reads: "Osterzone's works, while smaller pieces, feature a distinctive expression. Light and shadow are used in a way beyond that of any other contemporary artists. Overflowing with a sensibility that is subtle yet bold, these canvases charm easily. They can also capture the purest essence of a thing in a single fleeting moment. Most notably, the work Angel Opening a Door is a masterpiece. It so opens ambiguities in the viewer's powers of imagination that even a layman can..." Nice fifty-cent words, pal.I wonder if Summer wrote this. But why would Dunning keep a newspaper article about Osterzone?This is getting intense. Where are Dunning and Mila? And what could that symbol written on the old brochure mean? I need to figure this out, and fast. I head on back up to my room to think things through once more. Jesus What's happening to me tonight? The phone rings. It's Louie. "Hyde, Man! Meet me in the wine Cellar. Some real shit's going down Brother." How do Dunning and Evans tie together? What kind of shady dealings were they up to? Evans and Mila... Dunning and Jenny... Two men and their daughters. And what about the Kyle Hyde that paid Mila a visit? Was that you, Bradley? Outside, in the L.A. night, the worst side of humanity has license to roam. And here? Inside this hotel? Am I going to find something that I don't want to see? I guess it doesn't matter. I'm getting close to the truth, Bradley...And to you. I head to the wine cellar to meet up with Louie, but I find him unconscious on the ground. When I go to check on him, someone comes up from behind and puts my lights out. "Fuck...Me..."

Chapter Ten

It's all black. a voice calls. " Mr. Hyde? Mr. Hyde! Mr. Hyde! Wake up! Oh, what am I going to do? You can't be... Are you DEAD? Land sakes, Mr. Hyde! Get up!" It's Rosa. I open my eyes. Louie's sitting next to me. We're in the wine Cellar. Rosa must've found us out cold down here. "You okay, Louie?" "Yeah, man, I'm breathing. But I got a knot on my noggin the size of abaseball. We got thumped good. Some dirtbag hit us from behind. Yeah, Hyde?" I nod. Rosa wipes some sweat from her brow. "Who would do such a thing?" I think back. "Didn't see a face. How 'bout you, Louie? You see who sapped you?" Louie shakes his head, no. "Naw, man. All I saw was stars and the floor. I was checkin' out the shelves in the cellar when I got whacked. Oww...can't believe how much this hurts, man!" "What's going on?" I ask rosa. "I took Mila back to my room, and Mr. Smith showed up. He told me to take Mila to the police in the morning. Well, I told him that Mila could talk, and that we didn't need the police's help. Mr. Dunning's eyes got as wide as hotcakes, and he said he had to talk to her!" "Who!" says Louie, "Wait, so he took Mila? Man, this is trippy. But I think I follow you so far..." "There's more" I say, "Our friend the Doctor knows Mila." this is news to both of them. "Melissa's pops?" asks Louie. I nod. " Woodward's a doctor down at Robbins Memorial Hospital. Mila was a patient there for a long time. She was in a coma for ten years. Then six months ago, she wakes up. Woodward says it was a total surprise. It gets crazier. Woodward told me Mila's old man used to visit her once a month. Nice guy, right? But right before she opens her eyes and rejoins the world? Her old man vanishes. No one's heard from him. Louie opens his trap again. " Yo, Hyde, you sure WE ain't still knocked out? This is the freakiest story I ever heard." "Louie, I ain't done. Right before Mila came around, she got a new visitor. Wasn't her old man, either. It was somebody using the name Kyle Hyde." Louie's eyes go wide. " All right, that's enough! You gotta be kiddin' me, right? 'Cause if that's true, then you-know-who was at the hospital!" I nod again. "Yeah, I know. But right now, we have to check out this wine cellar." I stand up on wobbly legs.

I look around. There's a shelf designed to hold alcohol. Bless you, shelf. I check out the shelves. There's a case of whiskey. There are three bottles in here...I look around some more and find another whiskey bottle on the right shelf. There's another whiskey bottle on top of the shelf.. This whiskey... It's the same stuff that was in the case on the back shelf. This bottle's only half full. This...I pick up the half-full whiskey bottle. I organize the Whiskey in order of most full to least full. The Shelf swings off the wall, and there's a door behind it. Fuck me. I tell Louie and Rosa to stay put, and Wander into the abyss.

No sooner was i In the secret room when the door swung shut. Fuck. thing won't open. Damn! I think that thing's airtight! The door's been closed from the outside! I better figure a way out of here fast, or I'm a goner. There are some dust-covered books on the shelf. Guess no one reads around here. Title on the spine of the book reads, "Osterzone, the Phantom Painter." This is all about the discovery of Osterzone's works. It was published in 1963. And it was written by... Robert Evans. Hold it... There's something stuck in between the pages. It's a photo. That's the little girl I saw in the photo from Dunning's room. This must be Dunning and Jenny. There's a date written on the back of the photo. May 18, 1967, huh? I see something behind the Osterzone book, on the shelf. I set the book down and reach on in. What do we have here? The guest register from two years ago. Let's see if I can find Grace in here. Here she is. August 1977. Grace Woodward. This proves it. Grace was here two years ago. There's another book on the shelf. It's called Life Trivia. This ain't trivia. This is some kind of random folk-wisdom collection. How to sharpen cutlery, huh? This should be fascinating... "It's common practice to use whetstones or crock sticks to sharpen blades. But did you know you can also use aluminum foil? -Instructions- Take the blade you wish to sharpen, and use it to cut up some aluminum foil. You'll be shocked at how sharp the blade becomes!" What? who reads this garbage. An envelope falls out from betweent two of the pages. I pick it up. The letter's addressed to Dunning Smith. Sender's name isn't anywhere on the envelope. "This is your last job. Finish it and you're free. I won't ask anything further of you. However, our secret must never be revealed. Keep silent, and I promise that Jenny will one day be returned to you. Go back to Hotel Dusk. Be patient. September 9. 1972. Robert Evans." Evans sent this letter to Dunning seven years ago. That's the same time Evans closed up his gallery and disappeared. Our secret must never be revealed... What do these letters at the end mean? I wonder if it's some kind of code. I sit and think about them for a little while. I finally figure out what the code says. OSTERZONE S DUNNING SMITH. Well I'll be. Osterzone is Dunning Smith? holy crap. this is the secret that was never to be revealed... There's a knock at the door. Someone's here to save me! "Hey Hyde You in there?" It's louie. "Louie! It's me! I'm locked in!" The door opens, and I run out to meet Louie in the Wine Cellar. "I was gettin' worried, so I came to check up on ya. Good thing, too! Looks like you needed my help after all, yeah?" we walk back into the secret room, propping the door open with the "Osterzone" Book. I can see the wall through gaps in the bricks. These bricks look like they've been put up recently. Maybe we can... I kick at the wall. The Bricks fall out way too easily. There was nothing holding them. The Room inside The room is full of painting supplies. and in the back of the room. Is the granddaddy of all surprises. Angel Opening a Door. By Osterzone.

Behind the painting is another Door. I'm sick of these hidden doors. I open it, and inside is Dunning and Mila. I open my trap. "Got yourself quite a series of hideouts, Dunning. You make 'em all yourself?" He shakes his head no. "Time to come clean. You're going to tell me everything you know. Start talking!" He looks up at me with Weary eyes. "All right, I hear ya. But just the two'a us! I aim to talk at ya alone!" Louie tries to take mila, but she wants to stay. "I want to hear Mr. Smith's story." "Whoa, you can talk?" Louie asks increduosly. She Nods. I turn back to Dunning. "Fine." he says, "Have it your way. Let me ask you a question first. this Other Kyle Hyde? The one who stayed here six monts ago...you know him?" "Yeah. The guy who stayed here six months ago was my partner. My friend. He's the ghost I've been chasing for three years." Dunning gives me a look. " Partner? Didn't know that door-t'door salesmen had partners!" Louie grins, "Yo, Mr. Smith? Lemme introduce... Uh... Officer Kyle Hyde. Until three years ago, he was a detective with NYPD" "Ah, crap." "My partner's name is Brian Bradley. Three years ago, he was investigating a crime syndicate called Nile. But he decided to steal your angel painting and skip town. Hasn't been seen since." Dunning sighs. "Nile, huh? Well, I'll be damned. I guess what he told me was true after all." Mila opens her mouth. "I remember when Papa and I came here ten years ago. We ate dinner, and then he said he had some business to take care of. He told me he was going to meet a friend. And that I should play with Jenny until he got back. So we played, and I waited for him. But he never came back. We were tired and sleepy. And we...we both fell asleep. Then the man... The door opened, and there was a scary man. He grabbed Jenny and tried to take her. Jenny started screaming. Screaming and crying. She was crying so hard. I...I thought she was going to die... So I yelled at the man! I ran to him and told him to stop, and... Then I was flying... Are you mad at me Mr. Smith?" "No, girl, that ain't it. I just... I don't know where Evans is. That's why I'm here. It's all I can do. Just sittin' and waitin' to hear from Evans. Waiting for my Jenny t'come home. I asked him why Jenny was taken. He said... Said it was 'cause I wouldn't paint no more. Said if I'd just pick up the brush, Jenny'd be returned. Leastwise, that's what Evans said. Told me these Nile fellas knew the truth 'bout Osterzone. Said they wanted me to do more paintin'. But I told Evans t'go screw himself! Told him no. And that's why they took m'Jenny away. I was tired! More popular Osterzone got, the lousier I felt. Evans came up wit Osterzone, see? said My Paintin's was good, but they wouldn't sel good. He came up wit dis plan see? we create an artist. came up wit' Osterzone. His plan was movin' ahead without a hitch, but... To really make it stick, I had to bury my own work. Bury who I was. People loved my paintin'! Collectors wanted 'em! But all the praise, all the glory... Osterzone got it. Not me. Couldn't take it no more. This is what yer pal told me, so ya might want to take it with a grain'a salt. He said Evans actually chose to work with Nile. 'Cept they knew him as Norman. Hell, I dunno. Three years after I lost m'Jenny, I... I hit rock bottom. I was sad and pissed off. Told him I knew Jenny ain't never comin' home. Took a knife to the paintings I was workin' on and slashed 'em to ribbons. I was even thinkin' 'bout breakin' m'hand so I couldn't paint no more. Well, Evans saw how crazy I was. He talked me back from the edge. Said he'd take care of everythin'. Promised me he'd get m'Jenny back. Said I should just sit tight and wait here. And that he'd contact me soon as everythin' was square. Then he turned'n walked off the face of the earth. All right, Mr. Hyde... I'm done tryin' to hide all'a this. I'm gonna tell ya everythin'. Tell ya how Evans'n me got started... Why they took m'Jenny... Why Evans disappeared seven years ago... And... I'll tell ya 'bout the other Kyle Hyde I met six months back. Yer pal Bradley. I'll tell ya everythin' he told me, everythin' I know.. It all started when Evans and me... We was what ya call reunited by tragedy. There was a plane crash in Las Vegas in 1960. Two'a the women who died on that plane left behind little girls. One was Jenny's mom. M'wife. The other was married to Evans. That's yer mom, Mila. 'Bout a year later, Evans comes up with this crazy idea... Said he wanted to prove he had an eye for art. Told me it was my chance to prove m'self, too. Yer a great painter, he said, and history'll prove me right. It sounds silly now, but... He was so sure of himself. Got me all worked up, too. We just wanted t'show the world what for, ya know? Couple'a damn fools... Well, we spent the next three years thinkin' up all the details. And between the two'a us, we created Marcel Osterzone outta thin air. It introduced the world to the mystery painter that died too young. In less time'n it takes t'change a lightbulb, his works took off. Collectors started buyin' up the stuff, and payin' a fortune for it, too. Evans'n me were just happy as pigs in filth. Art world loved Osterzone. And loved his paintings. I just kept paintin' and paintin' as much as I could. And Evans sold every last one of 'em for more money than I'd ever imagined. But... The more popular Osterzone's works got, the heavier m'brushes got. I couldn't take hidin' in the shadow of a painter I created. It was too much. After a while, I just lost m'talent. I couldn't paint no more. Then outta the blue a couple'a years back, I got a visit from a gal who used t'work in his gallery. She just showed up one day shakin' and nervous as hell. I asked if I could help her, and outta the blue she said she knew I was Osterzone. Also said she knew Evans forced me t'do all the paintings. Then she threatened me. Said she'd reveal m'secret 'less I painted one for her. Thought she might know where Evans had gotten off to, so I did it. I gave her the paintin', but never heard from her again. Nothin' from Evans, neither. And then... Six months ago? That other fella showed up. The one with yer name. Got some news 'bout Evans from him. Don't quite know what t'make of it. I liked'm well enough, so we had a drink. Then he turned to me and asked if I knew Evans. 'Course, I didn't say a word. Just kept nursin' m'drink. But he kept talkin'... Said Evans was in deep with Nile, and callin' himself Norman. Then he told me he knew all about Osterzone. This fella knew everythin', and he just kept talkin'. Said he knew we'd created him, and that he knew I'd been paintin'. Didn't think I should say nothin', so I just sat and listened. After a bit, he quit talkin' and just swirled his ice around. I figured he was done and made t'leave, but then he said somethin' real quiet... Told me he made a deal with one'a Nile's men...A man named Norman." Dunning stops. he lights a cigar, before piping up again. " Next mornin', he checked out. Left me quite a goin'-away present, though... The paintin' that had been hangin' above the bed in 217 had been taken down. And hangin' there was Angel Openin' a Door. He left a photograph and a key on the bed. Photo was the same one ya found. Evans always carried that photo with him. And this here's the key." He hands me the key. I wonder what its for. "...And that's it, Mr. Hyde. Everythin' I know. Every last bit. When you showed up claimin' the same handle as that man... I got to thinkin' somethin' bad was gonna happen. That's why I was so nervous. Something bad... Ha! Go ahead'n laugh. I'm nothin' but a damn fool. This place and its secrets draws bad things like flies to honey. But I'm still here. Still doin' what I can to protect that secret. Waiting's 'bout all I can do anymore..." dunning stands. He walks back through his maze of Rooms. "I'm going to bed, now, Mr. Hyde. Is that alright with you?" I nod. Mila follows him. Louie follows her. I stand and think for a minute before heading out myself.

I'm sitting back in my room. I pick up the phone and Call Ed. Ed Tells me something. "I just got off the horn with the guy who wanted the red box and the magazine. He settled the bill, but said he didn't care about getting the items back." "So...that means-" "Listen, Hyde. Lie down. Get some rest. You need to clear your head. I'll call you tomorrow. " he hangs up. If the customer I've been working for was actually Bradley... Then the key Dunning gave me in the basement... I try using the key to open the small red box. The key turns. The lock clicks. I open the box and... I see a letter written in a hand I know well. I read the letter, my eyes poring over each word.

"Hey partner. I'm writing this in the hope that you'll find it and give it a read. Six months ago, I heard that you turned in your badge and left Manhattan. I figured it was my chance, so I arranged for you to be here. You know why I did it, don't you, partner? Because I know you. Because I knew you'd solve all the riddles hidden in this dump of a hotel. I knew you'd discover what happened here, and what happened to me. You're a damn bulldog, Hyde. I knew you wouldn't let it go. I had to believe that. Three years ago, I betrayed you. I put your finger on that trigger, and I made you pull it. You know, Hyde, I can still hear your voice. Asking me why... You have any idea how angry you sounded? Of course, you always were the crazy one. But every time I hear it in my head... I see Mila. I see the way Evans killed my baby sister. And I remember the day six months ago when I took revenge. I know you understand, Hyde. And so I'm on the run now. Nile wants me dead. Cops want me dead. Some life, huh, partner? Stop looking for me, Kyle. My way is a dead-end street. Let me go. I'm a ghost now. -Bradley "

Bradley... I can see the surprise on his face when he hears her name for the first time... Mila. He stood by her bed and watched her sleep, thinking all the while of HIS Mila. Then he took his bracelet off his wrist and slipped it onto hers... And then... Tell me something, Bradley... Did you watch and wait? When Evans came to see Mila... Did you kill him? I close my eyes. It's been a Long Night.

Epilogue

I awake in the morning to find a letter slipped under my door. I read it anxiously.

"Dear Mr. Hyde, I met Mrs. Parker and spoke at length with her about Alan. What a charming woman! At any rate, I have made her a promise. A promise to find Alan. I am going to start over, Mr. Hyde. I shall pen a best seller, and it will be mine and mine alone! And I have decided to model my protagonist after yourself! When my novel is finished, you will be the first person to whom I show it. Farewell, good sir! May the winds of fortune be always at your back! - Yours Martin Summer" Oh..Joy.

I pack up my stuff. On my way out Dunning smiles and waves to me. "You know." He says, "It was nice to get all that stuff off my chest. I slept last night better 'an I slept in ten years. I make my way out to my car. It's time I returned to Red Crown HQ and see Ed. Standing by my car is Mila. "Mr...Mr. Hyde? Where...wherever you're going, can I go too?" I think for a moment. then I nod. I start the car, and pull out, ready for the day's drive. Louie Waves to me from the hotel's entrance as I leave. As I drive into the morning sun I think about last night. I feel like I've been asleep for the longest time, and now I'm finally awake. I turn to Mila. "You know, kid I think everything's gonna be all right." She laughs. It sure is a beautiful Morning.

The End


End file.
